Coin mailer



R. KRYESKE March 24, 1959 com MAILER vFiled oct. f2, 195s United States Patent O COIN MAILER Raymond Kryeske, Union, NJ.

Application October 2, 1956, Serial No. 613,521

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-923) This invention relates `to a coin transporting unit. More specifically, it deals with a means for simply and easily mailing small hard articles, such as coins, machine or tool parts, and the like.

The problem of mailing loose coins as refunds, payment for articles ordered, or the like, is becoming increasingly important, particularly with large firms, such as insurance companies, mail order houses, and the like. As the present time, there are used a number of devices, the most common one being a cardboard having coin opening punched out therein and paper cover sheets pasted over the cardboard front and back to prevent dropping out of the coins. Such coin mailers are expensive, since they require various punches for punching out holes for different denominations of coins and they demand unnecessarily great labor requirements for filling the coins therein. They are also inadequate, since, very often, there are insufncient holes to t the coins to be inserted therein.

The present invention comprises a simple, inexpensive and ecient device for effecting the mailing of coins, small parts, small instruments, and the like. It involves the use of a sandwich comprising two sheets of paper between Which is attached an intermediate layer of compressible or readily-destructible material. An example of such a sandwich is a strip of corrugated paperboard. This sandwich is slit through one sheet and through the inter mediate layer so that it may be opened at the slit, using the unslitted sheet as a hinge. The coins then are inserted at the hinge and imbedded completely by pressing into the soft intermediate layer. When the sandwich is closed by closing at the hinge until the slitted edges meet to give a uniplanar strip, the package is complete, for practical purposes, and may be thus inserted in an envelope and mailed.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which a number of preferred embodiments are depicted. Figure l is a front view of a 2-compartment coin mailing package made from corrugated cardboard. Figure 2 is the same view showing the sandwich partly opened, exposing the edges of the inserted coins. A top-edge view of a 3-compartment unit, containing a foamed plastic intermediate layer, is shown in Figure 3, while Figure 4 illustrates a crosssectional top-edge view of a 2-compartment double-layer unit made of corrugated paperboard. A 4-compartment single-layer unit (in top edge view) is shown in Figure 5. A front view of a 4-compartment mailer made of corrugated coardboard, in condition for direct mailing, is presented in Figure 6. Figure 7 depicts the back of the mailer shown in Figure 6. Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawing, numeral 1 represents a backing sheet of material, preferably of paper, since it is the cheapest, although it could be of cloth, plastic or other film-forming material. Numeral 2 represents a similar sheet serving as the front. These two sheets 1 and 2 are pasted over a layer 3 of readily or easily-deformable or readilypliable material, such as the paper corrugation "ice in a strip of corrugated paperboard. Y Or, it may consist of a friable foamed plastic 8, such as polystyrene foam, now marketed for making decorations, toys, displays, and the like. The intermediate layer 3 of the sandwich may be of any such material which can be deformed or pene-l trated readily by inserting the edge of a coin therein, and, capable of enabling the embedding and rather loose anchoring therein ofsaid coinsuch as coins 5.

As shown in Figure 1, the sandwich is slit at the front along line 4, the slit extending through sheet 2 and intermediate layer 3, but not through sheet backing 1. When this is done, the sandwich may be opened at slit 4, with sheet 1 serving as a hinge, 6, as illustrated in Figure`2. When the sandwich is thus opened, it is possible to insert into the intermediate layer 3, at the edge of adjacent hinge 6 various coins 5, by pushing them into the edgev of layer 3 until they are completely imbedded into the collapsed intermediate layer 3 except for their outer pro'- jecting edges. Thereafter the sandwich may be closed, as in Figure 1 and inserted into an envelope for mailing. Semicircular cutouts or slots 4 may be provided on front-v sheet 2 at the edge of slit 4, preferably over the areas wherein coins 5 are to be inserted, to facilitate grasping of the coin with the fingers for removal from the sandwich.

It is possible to insert coins 5 partially into layer 3 on one side of slit 4 and then to close the sandwich at the hinge as in Figure 7. Thereafter, the projecting edges of the'coins are forced into the intermediate layer on the other side of slit 4. In this way, the coins help to keep the sandwich from opening at the slit.

Although a 2-compartment strip is depicted in Figures 1 and 2, it is possible to employ a 3compartment sand which strip which incorporates compartments 9', 10' and 11' as illustrated in Figure 3, or a 4-compartment unit as compartments 9, 12, 11 and 12 in Figure 5, or any multiple component mailer, as is desired and practical. Also, instead of a single layer sandwich as shown in Figures l and 2, it is possible to employ a 2layer sandwich asin Figure 4, or a multi-layer sandwich made of any desired number of layers. In Figure 4, the backing sheet 1 is attached to intermediate layer 3 to which is attached another sheet 7 which separates intermediate layers 3 and 3', to the latter face of which is attached front sheet 2. When slit at 6 as shown in Figure 4, with backing sheet 1 serving as a hinge, coins 5 may be inserted into both intermediate layers and 3 and 3', in both compartments 15 and 16. When multi-compartment units, as the ones shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 are used, backing 1 serves as a hinge at lines 6, 6 and 6".

Although mailing of the sandwich has been mentioned by inserting said sandwich in an envelope, this is not necessary, since the sandwich strip may be mailed by itself as shown in Figures 6 and 7. The multi-compartment strip is closed so that joints 4, 4 and 4" are butted, and a strip or several strips 13 and 13 of adhesive tape may be adhered over all of the compartments, thereby making the sandwich strip a at non-collapsible sandwich containing the embedded coins 5. On the back sheet 1 may be pasted the shipping label 14 on which the stamps may be directly attached, whereby the use and expense of an envelope are avoided. If desired, strips 13 and 13' may be dispensed with and label 14 may be pasted over the four compartments 9, 10, 11 and 12, thus serving to make the sandwich a rigid single unit from which the coins could not be accidentally removed.

Instead of pasting sheet 2 to the intermediate penetrable layer 3, it may be desirable in some cases, such as when the intermediate layer is made of a friable composition, to leave sheet 2 unattached except at its edge, whereupon the coins 5 may then be pressed in flat condition into said intermediate layer and the sheet 2 then folded, thereover to cover said coins, and the assembly then may be readily inserted into an envelope, or taped at its open end and mailed in a condition as in Figure 7.

It is apparent, therefore, from the foregoing discussion, that the present invention offers a cheap, efficient and simple means for shipping coins or other small articles in a manner which can be considered safer against coin loss than heretofore possible.

The term readily-deformable material employed hercin includes readily-friable, readily-collapsible, readilypenetrable, readily-compressible, readily-destructible, and similar material.

When corrugated paperboard or similar material is employed for the present invention, it is preferred to cut and slit the strip so that the coins may be inserted into the intermediate corrugation layer 3 in line with the corrugations, as in Figure 6, rather than at right angles thereto (as in Figures 1 and 2).

I claim:

1. A mailer for small hard articles, comprising a sandwich strip having a front sheet and a back sheet between which is attached a layer of readily-deformable material, at least one slit cut from one edge of the strip to the other through the front sheet and said layer, but not through the back sheet, in a manner whereby said strip is divided into a multiplicity of compartments readily openable at the slit when the back sheet is used as a hinge, said layer being adapted tov be readily deformed when said articles are completely inserted into it at the edge adjacent said slit, whereupon said strip may thereafter ybe closed in uniplanar condition and at least one hard article inserted for mailing into an edge of said slit through collapse of said readily-deformable material disposed between said front and back sheets.

2. A mailer according to claim l in which the sandwich comprises corrugated paperboard.

3. A mailer according to claim l in which a third sheet is provided to be attached to the front sheet after the articles have been inserted and the vstrip is in uniplanar condition, said third sheet being adapted to produce a rigid strip suitable for mailing per se after the articles are inserted therein.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,728 Evans Dec. 8, 1891 2,499,313 Hoag Feb. 28, 1950 2,597,227 Colliton May 20, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,136 Great Britain Aug. 30, 1937 

